Transport of tiny particles in fluids by electric field, the so-called electrophoresis [1]}, is an active area of research in soft matter science and widely used in segregating macromolecules [2]}, colloidal-assembly and transport [3]}, [4]}, biomedical [5]}, [2]}, microfluidic [7]} and electrophoretic display devices [8]}, [9]}. Active control and piloting of the particles in the suspension is of crucial importance for developing new technologies. In linear electrophoresis, the ions in the electrical double layer drag the fluid (electro-osmosis) as a result the freely suspended charged particles move along the applied field direction with a velocity proportional to the field (\({\bf E}\) ). In nonlinear electrophoresis, known as induced-charge electroosmosis (ICEO), the applied field creates a double layer and drags the fluid, setting a flow pattern of quadrupolar symmetry surrounding the particles [10]}, [11]}, [12]}, [13]}, [14]}. The quadrupolar symmetry of the ICEO flows is broken for polarisable particles with nonuniform surface properties or polarity in the shape, consequently the particles move with a velocity proportional to \(E^2\)[13]}. However, the transport of particles by the electric field in either type is unidirectional, without having any navigational capabilities [16]}.
<FIGURE><FIGURE>